Minnesota Vikings DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones is staying in the NFC North, as he is set to sign a one-year, $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Jones was released by the Packers after they landed former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. The 29-year-old dealt with injuries last year and was limited to 656 rushing yards and 233 receiving yards to go along with three total touchdowns. However, he dominated in the playoffs, posting 39 carries for 226 yards (5.6 YPC) and three touchdowns in two games. He still has plenty of juice, and he should be set up to be the featured back with the Vikings. However, the offense could be headed for steep regression after losing franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons.

The Minnesota Vikings are now interested in running back Aaron Jones after the Green Bay Packers released him on Monday. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Packers wanted Jones to take a 50 percent pay cut, if not more, entering the final year of his deal in 2024. Jones signed a four-year, $48 million extension in March of 2021, and the 29-year-old took a $5 million pay cut last year. He missed some time with injuries in 2023, but when he was on the field, he ran for 584 yards (5.7 yards per carry) over the final five games of the team's season in the regular season and playoffs. The stretch included a three-touchdown game against the Cowboys in the wild-card round. The Vikings need both RB help and a new quarterback after releasing Alexander Mattison and watching Kirk Cousins sign with the Falcons on Monday, so Jones could be a nice fit in their backfield and would two revenge games against the Packers.

The Green Bay Packers are releasing running back Aaron Jones after signing free agent running back Josh Jacobs to a contract on Monday. Jones had $12 million in non-guaranteed compensation for 2024, but with the Packers adding Jacobs to the roster, Green Bay decided to move on from the veteran back. Jones rushed for 656 yards and two touchdowns while catching 30 passes for 233 yards and a score over 11 games in 2023. The 29-year-old finished the season and playoffs strong, logging five consecutive 100-yard games and three touchdowns during that five-game span. After seven seasons with the Packers, Jones will be a free agent and look to latch onto a team in search of a starting back. Jones should be a free agent for only a short time, and after a strong finish last season, the former Packer should be a solid fantasy option in 2024, regardless of where he lands.

ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks NFL teams are higher on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy than a lot of people on the outside think, and Graziano wouldn't be surprised to see McCarthy come off the board in April's NFL draft in the top 10. He came to the scouting combine in Indianapolis last week as one of the prospects with the most to gain, and while teams have their questions, he has intriguing traits and is ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 signal-caller in this year's class behind USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels. The consensus is that QBs will come off the board with the top three picks this year (Chicago, Washington and New England), but McCarthy could be an option for the Giants (No. 6) or Falcons (No. 8) or another team (Vikings, Raiders) that potentially trades up into the top 10 in the first round.

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones is reportedly discussing a pay cut with the organization. Jones is heading into the final year of his four-year deal with the team. He's set to make a base salary of $11.1 million with a cap hit of $17.5 million in 2024. Jones missed six games last season, but still put together solid numbers when he was healthy. The 29-year-old finished with 656 rushing yards on 142 attempts with two touchdowns in 11 games. Fellow back AJ Dillon is set to become a free agent this offseason. That being said, Jones appears to be in line to be the workhorse back next season.